Lucy Ellen GIBSON
F, b. 2 August 1827, d. 2 August 1920
- Relationship
- 2nd great-grandaunt of John Kennedy BROWN Jr.
Lucy Ellen Gibson Buckner
Lucy married John Strother BUCKNER, son of Bailey BUCKNER and Mildred Strother, on 23 December 1846 in Culpeper County, Virginia.1,3 When Aylette Hawes Buckner took a shot at Union troops, his mother protested when they fired back at the boy. They told her that if he was old enough to shoot at them, then he was old enough for them to shoot back. Either these troops or others stole all their cattle and under cover of darkness young Aylette went over the mountain and recovered them.4
Lucy Ellen BUCKNER and John Strother BUCKNER appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 19 June 1870 in Sperryville, Rappahannock County, Virginia. The household was listed as John S. Buckner, 51, farmer; Lucy E. Buckner, 42; Mary E. Buckner, 21; Hawes [Aylette Hawes] Buckner, 20, farm labor; Annie Buckner, 17; Eugenia Buckner, 15; Blanche Buckner, 13; Mary C. Fitzhugh, 44; Catlett Fitzhugh, 14; and 8 servants. Buckner had real estate valued at $25,000 and personal estate $4,000.
Lucy Ellen GIBSON wrote the following letter on 2 October 1918:
Oct. 2, 1918
My dear cousin:
I am very proud indeed to claim you as a kinswoman. I have no doubt you are correct in you researches, but my memory does not extend further back than my paternal Grandfather Jonathan Gibson.
My father was Col. Jonathan Catlett Gibson, who fought in the War of 1812, and my mother drew a pension. She was his second wife, twenty years younger than he was. She was Mary Williams Shackleford of French extraction. You know his first wife was Martha Dandridge Ball, cousin of George Washington and named for his wife.
To resume my remarks about the Gibson family, my uncle John was the head of the family as the oldest son. He had a large landed estate in Prince William Co. His residence was not a castle by any means but an old Colonial of four stories with smaller houses on each side. One side with chambers for men of the family and office for Library. On the other side kitchen and other domestic buildings. A kitchen garden and a garden where every variety of flowers were cultivated. Much of my young days were spent there. As I am a failure as a genealogist, I have become a gossip. My uncle was a very handsome man, immacuate in his dress and deportment, and I often thought he looked like a French Noble just stepped down from the canvass.
I can account for that now since he must have had some French blood. A type of men sometimes survives many generations. I forgot to say that the name of the place is "Fleetwood", being historic from the fact of its being the winter quarters of a large part of the Federal army three miles from the town of Brandy where a battle was fought. Three miles from Cedar mountain where another important battle was fought. You know Virginia was the battle ground. My uncle entertained visitors not only sometimes but all the time, the best people as well as the poorest. I dont suppose any noble in England ever enjoyed more comfort or kept a better table, all the products of the cities. He had a large number of slaves and his wife never did a "hands turn" of work in her life.
My uncle loved the mother country and wrote to England for a souvenir of the Bishop. They sent him from the palace of the Bishop a box containing a full dinner service of rare old china and cut-glass. It came across the Atlantic with one slight accident, a plate was broken and he sent it back to England and had it riveted with silver. I have been told that "Fleetwood" was almost destroyed during the Civil War.
My aunt had all of her silver and everything of value stolen. My Father and my uncle John were two of Nature's noblemen, but they were different. My Father, though he fought against Great Britain, was a more typical Englishman in his appearance, habits and tastes. He loved sports, kept stables of race horses and valued them. Of course he did not make any thing for it is said of the Gibsons that they die poor, but they are honorable, truthful and unselfish.
As for my brothers, my eldest brother was killed on the way to Gettysburg. Col. Jonathan Catlett Gibson was an officer in the Confederate Army, wounded badly three times, a widely known and successful Lawyer.
Hon. Eustace Gibson so badly wounded he was retired from the Army and served four times in Congress from West Virginia, died finally of his wounds, was considered more than an average lawyer and orator.
Edwin Gibson fought through four years with Mosby without a scratch, and died from an accident. All of the family have died and I alone am left. Being next the oldest child, of course I am very old, 91. I am living with my grand-daughter and her husband, Mi. Raleigh T. Green, Editor of Culpeper Exponent, Culpeper, Va.
Very truly your friend and relative,
Lucy E. Buckner.5
My dear cousin:
I am very proud indeed to claim you as a kinswoman. I have no doubt you are correct in you researches, but my memory does not extend further back than my paternal Grandfather Jonathan Gibson.
My father was Col. Jonathan Catlett Gibson, who fought in the War of 1812, and my mother drew a pension. She was his second wife, twenty years younger than he was. She was Mary Williams Shackleford of French extraction. You know his first wife was Martha Dandridge Ball, cousin of George Washington and named for his wife.
To resume my remarks about the Gibson family, my uncle John was the head of the family as the oldest son. He had a large landed estate in Prince William Co. His residence was not a castle by any means but an old Colonial of four stories with smaller houses on each side. One side with chambers for men of the family and office for Library. On the other side kitchen and other domestic buildings. A kitchen garden and a garden where every variety of flowers were cultivated. Much of my young days were spent there. As I am a failure as a genealogist, I have become a gossip. My uncle was a very handsome man, immacuate in his dress and deportment, and I often thought he looked like a French Noble just stepped down from the canvass.
I can account for that now since he must have had some French blood. A type of men sometimes survives many generations. I forgot to say that the name of the place is "Fleetwood", being historic from the fact of its being the winter quarters of a large part of the Federal army three miles from the town of Brandy where a battle was fought. Three miles from Cedar mountain where another important battle was fought. You know Virginia was the battle ground. My uncle entertained visitors not only sometimes but all the time, the best people as well as the poorest. I dont suppose any noble in England ever enjoyed more comfort or kept a better table, all the products of the cities. He had a large number of slaves and his wife never did a "hands turn" of work in her life.
My uncle loved the mother country and wrote to England for a souvenir of the Bishop. They sent him from the palace of the Bishop a box containing a full dinner service of rare old china and cut-glass. It came across the Atlantic with one slight accident, a plate was broken and he sent it back to England and had it riveted with silver. I have been told that "Fleetwood" was almost destroyed during the Civil War.
My aunt had all of her silver and everything of value stolen. My Father and my uncle John were two of Nature's noblemen, but they were different. My Father, though he fought against Great Britain, was a more typical Englishman in his appearance, habits and tastes. He loved sports, kept stables of race horses and valued them. Of course he did not make any thing for it is said of the Gibsons that they die poor, but they are honorable, truthful and unselfish.
As for my brothers, my eldest brother was killed on the way to Gettysburg. Col. Jonathan Catlett Gibson was an officer in the Confederate Army, wounded badly three times, a widely known and successful Lawyer.
Hon. Eustace Gibson so badly wounded he was retired from the Army and served four times in Congress from West Virginia, died finally of his wounds, was considered more than an average lawyer and orator.
Edwin Gibson fought through four years with Mosby without a scratch, and died from an accident. All of the family have died and I alone am left. Being next the oldest child, of course I am very old, 91. I am living with my grand-daughter and her husband, Mi. Raleigh T. Green, Editor of Culpeper Exponent, Culpeper, Va.
Very truly your friend and relative,
Lucy E. Buckner.5
Lucy Ellen GIBSON died on 2 August 1920 in Culpeper, Virginia, at age 93.2 She was buried in Fairview Cemetery.
Last Edited=13 Nov 2021
Children of Lucy Ellen GIBSON and John Strother BUCKNER
- Mary Elizabeth BUCKNER6 b. 14 Dec 1847
- Aylette Hawes BUCKNER+ b. 13 Dec 1849, d. 31 Dec 1933
- Anne Eustace BUCKNER6 b. c 1853, d. 12 Jul 1873
- Eugenia M. BUCKNER4 b. 14 Dec 1856, d. 1900
- Blanche St. Pierre BUCKNER6 b. c 1860
Citations
- [S435] Mary Louise Davis Poirier, "Descendants of J. C. Gibson", Compiler is a descendant of Aylette Hawes and Anna Burt Buckner.
- [S356] Robert Winfield, "Gibson Genealogy," e-mail to John K. Brown.
- [S509] John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Culpeper County Marriages, pg. 151.
- [S356] Robert Winfield, "Gibson Genealogy," e-mail to John K. Brown, 24 Jan 1999.
- [S1107] Letter, Lucy Ellen Gibson to Miss Trabue, 1918, The letters were submitted by Joanne Pezzo (joannepezzo08) 20 Sep 2014.
- [S376] Rootsweb, online https://sites.rootsweb.com, Eric Nielson <e-mail address> 21 October 2000.
Information on this site has been gathered over many years from many sources. Although great care has been taken, inaccuracies may exist. Please contact [email protected] with corrections or questions..